Asad's Legacy: Syria in Transition

by Eyal Zisser

Overview

For more than thirty years Hafez al-Asad has ruled Syria with an iron fist. Six U.S. presidents and eight Israeli prime ministers have come and gone, but Asad remains, one of the last of the old generation of Arab leaders. But in the post-Cold War Middle East Asad and his country are faced with an array of bewildering choices. Will they allow greater civil liberties and economic liberalization, or assert strong, centralized one-party control of the state? Will they make peace with Israel, and at what price? Will they cement their growing relationship with the United States or return to the hostilities of the past?
Eyal Zisser tackles these questions and gets inside the mind of the man President Clinton called "the smartest leader in the Middle East." He also examines the peculiar dynamics of the Asad family with its Byzantine power plays and competing factions. He tells the fascinating story of how Asad struggles to appease his relatives and his clan while his son waits in the wings to assume power and his brother plots from abroad to gain control of the nation he regards as rightfully his.
Asad's Legacy is the most up-to-date, thorough treatment of Asad's role in the history and politics of the contemporary Middle East. Zisser sheds new light on the story of Asad's rule over his nation and points the way to the future of Syria and the entire region.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814796979
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2001
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Eyal Zisser is Professor of Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Well-researched and straightforward"

-International Affairs,Oct. 2001

"This is a well-documented and perceptive analysis of the workings of the Syrian regime and of the problems confronting the country...well worth reading."

-

International Journal

,Autumn 2001

Editorial Reviews

"Well-researched and straightforward"

Oct. 2001 International Affairs

"This is a well-documented and perceptive analysis of the workings of the Syrian regime and of the problems confronting the country...well worth reading."

Autumn 2001 International Journal

"Well-researched and straightforward"

-International Affairs,Oct. 2001

"This is a well-documented and perceptive analysis of the workings of the Syrian regime and of the problems confronting the country...well worth reading."

-

International Journal

,Autumn 2001

From the Publisher

Well-researched and straightforward.

International Affairs

This is a well-documented and perceptive analysis of the workings ofthe Syrian regime and of the problems confronting the country...well worth reading.

Hafez al-Asad (d. 2000) ruled Syria for 30 of its 55-year history as a modern state. Zisser (Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African studies, Tel Aviv U.) offers a balanced view of Asad's role in elevating Syria to a stable, major Middle East player but with a legacy of authoritarianism and struggles over succession. Includes maps of Syria's frontier with Israel and Lebanon. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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